Useful Expressions For Negotiating In English

A lot of our global business is conducted in English. So, there’s a strong chance you may have to learn how to negotiate using it.

Fortunately, there are a number of key phrases, expressions and words that can help you effectively communicate when doing business and making deals with other professionals.

Yet, whether you’re a business professional or not, learning how to negotiate can be useful in a number of different situations e.g. with family or friends, colleagues or even when buying a house.

Let’s look at some useful expressions to do this, as well as some tips and activities to help you be an effective negotiator.

Building a rapport

Firstly, you may want to consider making small talk with the other person at the beginning of the meeting. This will help you to build up a rapport with the other person and generally create a positive atmosphere. Here are some ways to do this:

People generally like to do business with people they have a good relationship with. By starting off on the right foot, they’ll be more likely to continue to do business with you in the future.

Stating your position or proposal

Once both sides are feeling comfortable and relaxed, you can go ahead and start making your proposals. In most cases you’ll have prepared these before the meeting, so you’ll usually know what issues you’d like to negotiate. Try these phrases to to help you express your ideas:

Following this, the other person will most likely agree or disagree with you and then state their position.

Agreeing

After listening to the other side’s point of view, you have two options: to agree or disagree. If you’d like to agree with the person, you could say:

If you agree, that’s great! You can then close the deal and move forward with the business plan.

Disagreeing politely

However, if you do not agree with the position put forward by the other side, you may want to consider disagreeing. There are a number of ways to say that you are not on the same page, but these should not be hostile. Good ways to express disagreement politely are:

Keeping it polite will ensure that you are diplomatic and maintain good relations.

Concluding comments

To close the negotiation process you should clarify and conclude before closing the deal. For instance, you can say:

This is a great opportunity for you to make sure that both parties have covered everything and a chance to ask further questions.

Closing the deal

Finally, once you’ve reached a mutual understanding and both parties are in agreement, it’s time to close the deal. Some useful phrases you can use are:

In some countries, it’s also common practice to shake hands with the other person as a symbolic gesture to express that you’re in agreement and will move forward as discussed.

Tips for negotiating in English

Aside from knowing which expressions and phrases to use when negotiating, here are some tips you can take on board for a successful meeting.

If you’re interested in learning more about key expressions, phrases and vocabulary in business English, then head over to our blog.

Don’t forget it’s also not too late to sign up to one of our Business English courses. We have in-person or online courses available, and choose from group or individual classes.

Glossary for Language Learners

Find the following words in the article and then write down any new ones you didn’t know.

Starting off on the right foot (exp): to make a good start at something, especially a task or relationship.

On the same page (exp): to be in agreement.

To sum up (pv): to give a brief summary of something.

Close the deal (exp): to make an agreement official.

Gesture (n): a movement of part of the body, especially a hand or the head, to express an idea or meaning.

Take (something) on board (exp): to decide to accept or deal with something, such as a suggestion or idea.

Nerve-wracking (adj): something that causes stress or anxiety.

Key

exp = expression

pv = prhasal verb

n = noun

adj = adjective

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